cocktails and spirits – Bay Area Biteshttps://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites
KQED Public Media for Northern CATue, 26 Sep 2017 17:59:50 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.2115469403Would You Drink A Cannabis Cocktail?https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2017/08/25/would-you-drink-a-cannabis-cocktail/
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2017/08/25/would-you-drink-a-cannabis-cocktail/#respondSat, 26 Aug 2017 01:13:19 +0000https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=120220In the Bay Area, you can consume marijuana in just about any form: high-end vape pen! Gummy bears! Cold brew! Now, a few enterprising chefs want to popularize the drug in a new form: cocktails.

The combination of marijuana and alcohol is a common enough occurrence, but you’re not likely to find many people who would recommend it. In small amounts, they’re both relatively safe. But when the two drugs are combined, they can exacerbate the effects of each other, making you drunker or more high than you want to be–a danger that anybody who’s gotten “crossfaded” after two many keg stands and bong rips at a college rager can attest to.

But with the popularity of medical marijuana and the ability to know exactly the strain and strength of the weed you’re buying, there’s now room to take a more controlled approach. Bartenders can easily find out what a particular type of marijuana will taste like (“heavy on the blueberry”) if it’s an indica or sativa, and what effect it’s supposed to leave you with (“great to melt away stress and anxiety.”) By incorporating just a few drops of a cannabis tincture into your cocktail shaker, proponents say that you can enjoy some of the advantages of cannabis while sipping on your next cocktail.

That’s what Payton Curry wants to offer. He’s a chef that left the world of fine dining to focus on promoting the positive, medicinal aspects of cannabis via what he does best: cooking. At a series of August dinners, Curry, who now runs the edibles company Flourish, offered diners a menu of his cannabis cuisine, featuring dishes like beet tartare and maitake steaks with red wine reduction–and cocktails like a rosemary blueberry smash. (The drinks will also be available at Folsom Street Fair, and he’s planning a monthly brunch featuring similar recipes.) Curry is evangelical about cannabis’ potential, and he wants people to start thinking of it as just another exciting ingredient.

The preparation of one of Payton Curry’s cannabis cocktails. (Carla Venini)

But just how much cannabis can you get from a cannabis cocktail? Does the toxicity of alcohol cancel out any positive effects you might get from your Bloody Mary Jane (another one of Curry’s specialties)? And most importantly, do the drinks taste like bong water?

“Oh, god no. Oh man,” Curry said with a laugh. He uses distilled forms of cannabis, which lack the distinctive dankness you experience if you’re smoking the plant. However, they do maintain some of their smelly characteristics, so Curry can decide how to take advantage of the citrus notes of, say, a Lemon Kush.

As for health claims, he thinks that the benefits of the CBD strains he incorporates into his low alcohol cocktails (marijuana high in the cannabinoid CBD doesn’t give a “high” effect, and people use it to treat issues like depression and insomnia) can help offset some of alcohol’s deleterious effects. He’s had people write him thank you notes describing the amazing sleep and vivid dreams they had after one of his dinners: “When do you dream when you’ve had alcohol?” he asked. “You don’t. You just go to bed and you conk out.”

CBD cocktails from Flore in the Castro. (Flore)

Terrance Alan and Aaron Silverman, co-owners of the Castro’s Flore, are also experimenting with cannabis cocktails. About a month ago, they added a menu of CBD infused cocktails, mocktails and beer.

“We’re working at the Flore to create the first cannabis restaurant in San Francisco, where cannabis is integrated into the dining experience in any way that will be appropriate,” Alan said. They can’t make any medical claims about their drinks, but he said that the customer response has been positive. “Some people have said, ‘I had that bunch of beers and usually I would get up in the morning and not feel very good, and I woke up and felt great.’ During the experience of drinking the cocktails or the CBD beer, what we found was that the mental change that happens when you drink alcohol is moderated and affected by the CBD.”

Alan also pointed out that the drinks have a special significance for the neighborhood– their drinks wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for Dennis Peron, who started the long fight for legal medical marijuana in the nineties by providing it to AIDs patients at his “Castro Castle.”

For Curry, his cannabis cocktails are a Trojan horse. In his opinion, drinking can be a more dangerous social activity than consuming marijuana. He wants to do his part to show that weed can provide the same social function as alcohol, and even offer some added health benefits. But to do that, he has to meet people where they are, with a cocktail in hand.

“The biggest thing that [drinkers] are getting is the opportunity to socialize [with] cannabis,” he said. “And they’re talking and they’re laughing and they’re still doing the same things that they would be doing if they were holding a $47 glass of Chenin blanc.”

“People weren’t getting weird,” he added. “No one smoked. Because it’s about dinner–it’s cocktails and dinner.”

]]>https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2017/08/25/would-you-drink-a-cannabis-cocktail/feed/0120220Jessica Moncada-Konte Wants ‘Proof’ in Oakland to Be Your New Neighborhood Bottle Shophttps://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2017/03/13/jessica-moncada-konte-wants-proof-in-oakland-to-be-your-new-neighborhood-bottle-shop/
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2017/03/13/jessica-moncada-konte-wants-proof-in-oakland-to-be-your-new-neighborhood-bottle-shop/#commentsTue, 14 Mar 2017 02:35:17 +0000https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=115862If you enjoy sipping your morning coffee at Red Bay Coffee, or love digging through clothes racks at Owl N Wood, then you will be happy to hear about the new addition to the family. Jessica Moncada-Konte, a Bay Area queer woman of color and the daughter of Red Bay’s owner, Keba Konte, is following in her family’s footsteps and launching a Kickstarter campaign to open her first business. ‘Proof – Oakland Bottle Shop’ will open its door at 45 Grand Avenue in Oakland where Moncada-Konte’s stepmother’s shop, Owl N Wood (which relocated to Old Oakland) once resided.

Moncada-Konte’s family has been in the Bay Area for a couple of generations. Moncada-Konte herself was born in San Francisco and went to school in West Oakland. Her father was an artist at the time and in 1994, when San Francisco got too expensive, they moved to a house in Berkeley.

“Our house in Berkeley was a meeting space or community space. That’s the house where folks would meet at,” Moncada-Konte recalls.

She says her parents have always been community-oriented and built numerous relationships with local artists. Her father, for instance, photographed album covers for local rappers like E-40, Master P, and MC Hammer. Like father, like daughter, Moncada-Konte also has connections to the Oakland artists scene. The architect for her shop happens to be Tajai Massey from the local hip-hop collective Hieroglyphics.

Moncada-Konte grew up in a family of entrepreneurs where independence, hard work, and leadership were keys to success. These are qualities Moncada-Konte has always admired.

“I always saw my parents working for themselves,” she says. “That’s why I wanted to own or operate something on my own. I was waiting to see what really grabbed my attention and when I started working in the food industry, that was it for me.”

And working in the food industry, she did. She’s been a busser, a hostess, a waiter, and an assistant cook at restaurants like Chez Panisse and Camino. But bartending is really what spoke to her.

“Booze really speaks to me, to be honest,” she says, cracking a big smile. ‘When I was a kid, one of my favorite games was mixing potions. My family always thought I was going to become a cook.’

And that’s where Proof comes in.

“Opening a business involves a lot of soul searching,” Moncada-Konte points out. “I felt like it was my responsibility to be a part of what I saw Oakland needed, which is small-business ownership and black-business ownership.”

While Moncada-Konte did not want to open another bar, she had her doubt about whether Oakland needed another liquor store. But “Proof” is different.

“When you open a store, there are things that you say you will do and won’t do,” she explains. “For example, are you going to sell less than a pint? Are you going to sell candies? What are your hours of operations?”

Moncada-Konte says Proof is committed to selling high-quality products but is also adamant about being able to serve as many customers as possible. That’s why the prices will range from $10 to $300. She also says that the store won’t be open in the evening, unlike most liquor stores.

Another point Moncada-Konte made was that the history of spirits, like rum or whiskey, is engrained in the history of African-Americans in the United States. She wants to share that knowledge with her clientele and empower shoppers. One of her goals is to educate people about the curation, the history, and the work behind each bottle she sells.

“I want Proof to be approachable and not intimidating,” she says while pointing out that other high-end places can often look uninviting. “I want to be able to recognize the folks who walk in.” In a way, Moncada-Konte hopes to build friendly, family-like relationships with her customers. It’s her way to pay homage to the liquor stores she went to when she was a kid, where everyone knew each other.

“It will be a super casual event,” she says. “I want folks to pop in and out, and learn to make bitters. It’s a last hoorah for wrapping up the campaign.”

One aspect of her business Moncada-Konte is excited about is to sell products that she has ­­researched herself. She plans to prioritize selling goods from local distilleries and shops with better environmental practices and who are known to treat their employees fairly.

Jessica Moncada-Konte at St. George Spirits distillery in Alameda. (Lori Eanes)

Proof won’t only feature high-quality spirits; the shop will also sell new and vintage barware, as well as bitters and tinctures.

‘Bartending is a beautiful craft,’ Moncada-Konte says as she shows me photos of some of the cocktails she’s made.

Cocktails made by Jessica Moncada-Konte. (Lori Eanes)

She will even carry luxury kitchen items and hand-made goodies, like these ceramic Tiki mugs by Chris Shima of Port Costa.

Handmade Tiki Mugs By Chris Shima. (Jessica Moncada-Konte)

When it comes to the business side of things, Moncada-Konte is prepared to face challenges. As a young queer black woman, she knows how hard it is to get lenders to trust new entrepreneurs like her.

‘Many of us aren’t going to own houses,’ she says. ‘We have to go against those traditional institutions and gain capital for our businesses in other ways.’

That’s why she is using Kickstarter to raise a third of her startup cost. Moncada-Konte believes that it is demonstrative of how her generation is capable of raising capital. Indeed, her father also crowdsourced the money he needed to open Red Bay Coffee.

So far, she’s raised $14,790 out of her $45,000 goal. With only two weeks left, Moncada-Konte hopes to follow in her father’s footsteps and conduct a successful campaign.

Jessica Moncada-Konte and Proof. (Drawing by Lynne Tanzer)

]]>https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2017/03/13/jessica-moncada-konte-wants-proof-in-oakland-to-be-your-new-neighborhood-bottle-shop/feed/1115862Proof-MONCADA 2Proof, Interior designjessica-warehouseJessica Moncada-Konte at St. George Spirits distillery in Alameda.20140413_0156Cocktails made by Jessica Moncada-Konte.tiki-mugsHandmade Tiki Mugs By Chris Shima.ScanJessica Moncada-Konte and Proof.Pining For A Cozy Winter Drink? Try An Evergreen Liqueurhttps://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2017/01/09/pining-for-a-cozy-winter-drink-try-an-evergreen-liqueur/
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2017/01/09/pining-for-a-cozy-winter-drink-try-an-evergreen-liqueur/#commentsMon, 09 Jan 2017 16:27:40 +0000http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=114556Though the great outdoors become more inhospitable as winter winds rise and temperatures drop, there’s nothing like wandering through an evergreen forest as snow squeaks underfoot. And once people have trudged stiffly back inside, they can keep those forests with them by imbibing one of the world’s many pine liqueurs.

These liqueurs have been a longtime fixture in European hotels and ski-lodges. Under the umbrella of “schnapps” (essentially any strong, clear alcoholic drink with little resemblance to the sweetened stuff marketed as schnapps in the United States), Austrians have been brewing their own pine-flavored varieties for generations. Yet it wasn’t until the early 2000s that these evergreen spirits finally made their way to America — 2005 in particular seems to be the magic year. Call it good market research or just good timing, but at least three major pine spirits made their U.S. debut that year.

Any earlier and it’s likely that pine liqueurs might have swiftly been forgotten. Pushing against the sweet excesses and cocktail-mixing flair of 1980s and ’90s bar culture (and drinks with names like the “slippery nipple”), bartenders began reviving Prohibition Era classics like the Manhattan, Martini and Negroni — all spirits-heavy drinks light on mixers and sugar. As this renaissance started to take off, bartenders became open to even more daring spirits and flavors that would help their menus stand out—and there are few flavors more distinctive to Americans than pine.

Zirbenz, a red-hued Alpine liqueur made from the fresh fruit of the Arolla Stone Pine, has been distilled by Austria’s Josef Hofer family in Styria since the late 1700s. Reaching this evergreen is no easy task. It grows at altitudes of roughly 4,000 to 8,000 feet, right up to the alpine tree line, after which conditions become too harsh. Though Zirbenz is often enjoyed in the winter, the mountaineers who pick the fruit harvest it when it ripens in early July.

Oregon’s Clear Creek Distillery also harvests the buds for their Douglas Fir Eau de Vie when they’re at peak freshness — early spring in the Pacific Northwest. In the 1990s, founder Steve McCarthy recalled the various pine spirits he’d tried in Europe and how he wanted to bring one to the United States.

The Douglas Fir Brandy by Clear Creek Distillery in Portland, Oregon, was created after founder Steve McCarthy recalled the various pine spirits he’d tried in Europe. ( Courtesy of Casey Campbell Photography)

“It was by far the most difficult of all our products to make because it’s not just ‘crush, ferment, distill,'” says Jeanine Racht, Clear Creek’s national sales manager. Douglas Fir buds didn’t have enough sugar in them for fermentation, so McCarthy turned to distillation. He soon got the flavor right but he wanted the liqueur to be green—with no added dye.

“Solving the puzzle was like a hobby for Steve,” Racht explains. By the time McCarthy was ready to send the Eau de Vie to market, 12 years had elapsed. In purely economic terms, the product shouldn’t exist. “A lot of money went into it,” Racht says.

Unlike many spirits-loving animals—birds, butterflies, and Carribbean monkeys—humans are the MacGyvers of alcohol. The first evidence of a human-created “drink” is a honey, rice and grape mixture that dates back to 7000–6600 B.C. Since then, humans have been experimenting to try to turn plants and crops – from bananas to wormwood — into some type of intoxicant.

In the Mediterranean, mastiha, the resin from the mastic tree, has been used for cooking, chewing and drinking for centuries. Mastic is an evergreen, though it has leaves instead of needles and bears little resemblance to northern pine trees. When crushed, the resin releases a flavor reminiscent of pine or cedar. For more than 3,000 years, people on the Greek island of Chios have been gathering the resin, which is also called the “tears of Chios.” The tree is scored and the dried crystals are collected and cleaned. It’s a painstaking process that happens once a year at the end of the summer. Today, one company, Skinos, makes the liqueur commercially. Though the product is sold in more than 20 countries, the United States is the biggest buyer.

Because alcohol isn’t exactly a health food, pine’s beneficial effects are downplayed in the marketing of spirits. But Dram Apothecary, based in Colorado, makes an evergreen syrup from local trees which can be used for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. It’s high in vitamin C and is often used as an herbal remedy for colds or coughs.

Yet, Dram founder Shae Whitney says, not all evergreen trees are alike. People who want to make their own pine syrup often turn toward Colorado’s local pine tree, the Ponderosa. “It’s toxic,” says Whitney, adding that on social media she’s had to talk a few people out of making Ponderosa pine syrup. “Trees are difficult to identify at different altitudes,” she explains. She purchased a Colorado tree guide on early outings to make sure her team was harvesting from the right kind of tree.

Spiky pine needles may not have been humanity’s first choice for a spirit, but it’s no surprise that at some point in history, someone walked into the snowy woods with a hankering for a stiff drink and noticed that there was exactly one plant still alive.

]]>https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2017/01/09/pining-for-a-cozy-winter-drink-try-an-evergreen-liqueur/feed/1114556Cheering Or Mourning Election Results? Mail-Order Cocktails Head Your Wayhttps://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/11/09/cheering-or-mourning-election-results-mail-order-cocktails-head-your-way/
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/11/09/cheering-or-mourning-election-results-mail-order-cocktails-head-your-way/#respondWed, 09 Nov 2016 22:07:37 +0000http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=113622Drowning your sorrows or celebrating last night’s election results with booze? If fancy mixed drinks are your tipple of choice, there’s no need to leave the house to imbibe. Craft cocktails are now coming to your mailbox.

As meal kits have gained market share — Technomic, a food consulting firm, estimates that the market for meal kit subscriptions will grow up to a total market of $5 billion by 2025 — cocktail subscription boxes have followed.

The concepts are similar: Just as companies like Blue Apron (which supports NPR) curate all of the ingredients for make-at-home meals, new players like SaloonBox, Cocktail Courier and Crafted Taste are assembling and shipping subscription kits containing all of the ingredients for craft cocktails straight to your door.

“Mixology is intimidating,” says Samantha Spector, founder and CEO of SaloonBox, a San Francisco-based service that launched in 2015. “People love the idea of making craft cocktails but don’t think it’s something they can do at home.”

These craft cocktail subscription startups are working to change that.

“We’re not just sending a bunch of ingredients and a recipe,” explains founder and CEO of Crafted Taste, Kat Rudberg. “We want our subscribers to get a cocktail education.”To that end, its kits feature recipes for drinks ranging from classic to creative and information on bartending techniques. (Kelley Jordan Photography/Crafted Taste)

The kits, she believes, appeal to fans of artisan spirits and the maker movement. And, because sales of sample-size bottles are rare and spirits tastings are, in some states, illegal, cocktail subscription kits allow tipplers to discover new drinks and small batch brands without splashing out for a big bottle of unfamiliar booze.

“It’s all about creativity and experimentation,” Sklansky says.

The same can be said for the creation of cocktail kits.

Each subscription service has a different take on the model. Some, like SaloonBox and Cocktail Courier, deliver mini bottles of alcohol — just enough to make the featured recipe. Others, like Crafted Taste, ship craft cocktail ingredients with full-sized bottles of spirits to help subscribers build their bars.

The fees range from $50 for ingredients to make up to four cocktails, to $185 per month for full-sized bottles of premium alcohol and mixers.

A margarita kit from Cocktail Courier. (Jeff Schear/Cocktail Courier)

For subscribers, the kits are about more than the fixings for creative cocktails.

“We’re not just sending a bunch of ingredients and a recipe,” explains Kat Rudberg, founder and CEO of Crafted Taste. “We want our subscribers to get a cocktail education.”

To that end, Crafted Taste’s kits feature recipes for drinks ranging from classic to creative. Past kits have included Classic Mojito and Just Beet It, a cocktail made with vodka, beet and carrot shrub and ginger syrup. There’s also information on bartending techniques, including the reasons some drinks are shaken, not stirred and when a drink should be poured through a strainer.

While “ecommerce for alcohol is on fire,” according to Scott Goldman, co-founder of Cocktail Courier, selling craft cocktail subscription kits is complicated.

It’s illegal to ship alcohol to 14 states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Utah. Creative companies get around the restrictions in these “controlled states” by offering lower-priced kits with all of the ingredients except alcohol.

Even in states where alcohol deliveries are permitted, companies still cannot sell or ship direct-to-consumer and must, instead, partner with licensed liquor retailers that handle fulfillment.

Despite the challenges, Rudberg says, “the market is out there. We’ve seen a lot of competitors come in, because the cocktail renaissance is going strong.”

The market for make-at-home cocktail kits might be strong, but Goldman is confident that the subscription services will not keep people from going out for drinks.

“There is nothing like the experience of going to a bar and ordering a cocktail. The atmosphere and the conversation with the bartender can’t be re-created at home,” he says. But “people are always going to drink at home and, when they do, we want them to drink well.”

Jodi Helmer is a North Carolina journalist and beekeeper who frequently writes about food and farming. Copyright 2016 NPR.

]]>https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/11/09/cheering-or-mourning-election-results-mail-order-cocktails-head-your-way/feed/0113622Halloween Treats (adults only): Eyeball Jell-O Shotshttps://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/10/20/halloween-treats-adults-only-eyeball-jell-o-shots/
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/10/20/halloween-treats-adults-only-eyeball-jell-o-shots/#respondThu, 20 Oct 2016 18:51:24 +0000http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=112659Want to simultaneously impress and completely disgust your guests at your next Halloween bash? I’m pretty certain these eyeballs will do the trick. They honestly do take a bit of work and planning, but the end result is so spectacular that it’s worth it! I mean, Jell-O shots are always fun at a late-night gathering, but these just take it to the next level. The texture is, well, let’s just say alarmingly realistic for what you are about to pop into your mouth.

To make these, you’ll need to purchase a 15-cavity mini half sphere mold. I’d also recommend getting the 1-ounce plastic cups made specifically for Jell-O shots, as these are the perfect size for the eyeballs.

The first step is to mold the eyeball whites (made white by using plain gelatin and sweetened condensed milk, mixed with a bunch of vodka of course) and let them set, and then to do the same with the cups. Once those are set, you can just pop the eyeballs out of the mold and gently place them on the set Jell-O in the cups.

To paint the irises and pupils, I used gel food coloring and a small, thin, sturdy paintbrush (be sure to use one that is clean and hasn’t been used for painting – best to purchase a cheap new one for this purpose). You can paint the irises any color you like. I like blue so there you go. For the pupils I used red, because on top of the blue it ended up nice and dark. And for the bloodshot eye effect, I used a toothpick dipped into the red food coloring, and then just drew them on.

And for those who don’t drink, or want to gross out your kids – you can easily make these non-alcoholic! Just swap out the vodka for water. It’s that easy!

Recipe: Eyeball Jell-O Shots

Makes about 15 shots

Ingredients:

For the eyeballs:

15-cavity silicone mini half sphere mold

Canola oil cooking spray

½ cup vodka

1 envelope unflavored powdered gelatin (such as Knox brand)

½ cup boiling water

5 oz sweetened condensed milk

A few drops lemon extract (optional)

Red, green, blue and/or black food coloring

Thin, clean paintbrush and toothpicks

For the cups:

1 3-oz box strawberry or cherry gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup cold vodka mixed with 1/2 cup cold water

15 1-ounce plastic cups or shot glasses

Eyeball Jell-O Shots ingredients (Wendy Goodfriend)

Instructions:

To make the eyeballs: Lightly spray the mold with the cooking spray, wiping out any excess oil. In a medium bowl add the vodka, then sprinkle with the gelatin. Stir to combine and set aside for 1 minute. Add the boiling water, stir to combine, then stir in the condensed milk and lemon extract, if using. Divide between the molds, then refrigerate until firm. (You may have a tiny bit more than you need, in which case you can discard it or add it to an extra plastic cup.)

In a medium bowl add the vodka, then sprinkle with the gelatin. Stir to combine and set aside for 1 minute. (Wendy Goodfriend)Add the boiling water, stir to combine, then stir in the condensed milk and lemon extract. (Wendy Goodfriend)Divide between the molds, then refrigerate until firm. (Wendy Goodfriend)

To make the cups: In a medium bowl add the gelatin and boiling water, stir to combine, then stir in the vodka mixture. Divide between the plastic cups, filling them 3/4 full. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

In a medium bowl add the gelatin and boiling water, stir to combine, then stir in the vodka mixture. (Wendy Goodfriend)Divide between the plastic cups, filling them 3/4 full. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (Wendy Goodfriend)

To finish, top each cup of red gelatin with an eyeball. Paint an iris and pupil on each white eyeball using the paintbrush. Draw bloodshot eyes with a toothpick using the red food coloring. Place on a serving tray and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To finish, top each cup of red gelatin with an eyeball. (Wendy Goodfriend)Paint an iris and pupil on each white eyeball using the paintbrush. (Wendy Goodfriend)Draw bloodshot eyes with a toothpick using the red food coloring. (Wendy Goodfriend)Place on a serving tray and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Wendy Goodfriend)

]]>https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/10/20/halloween-treats-adults-only-eyeball-jell-o-shots/feed/0112659DIY Gin: Yes, You Can Make It Without a Stillhttps://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/07/22/diy-gin-yes-you-can-make-it-without-a-still/
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/07/22/diy-gin-yes-you-can-make-it-without-a-still/#respondFri, 22 Jul 2016 19:54:37 +0000http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=110762Making homemade spirits sounds like an impossible task, given the equipment and jumps through regulatory hoops needed to produce a mere ounce of the stuff. And yes, DIYing your way to a fine rye whiskey without a distillery set-up at your fingertips is a fool’s errand. However, one only needs to look to the legal definition of one of summer’s best liquors — gin — to see that there is one option in reach.

Gin, by definition, is “a spirit that derives its predominant flavor from juniper berries.” (Thanks Wikipedia!) That’s it. There are some subcategories, the most common of which is “distilled gin,” which is produced by redistilling very strong alcohol in the presence of juniper berries and other, often proprietary botanicals. This is most of what you’ll find at your neighborhood liquor store. (There’s also London gin, genever and a few others.) But, technically, gin of the non-distilled sort (aka compound gin) can easily be made at home by infusing a neutral spirit with juniper and whatever else you want your gin to taste like. As long as it mainly tastes like juniper, it’s still (but not distilled) gin!

The only real catch is that infused gin will take on the color of whatever it is that you stick in there, so it will turn out looking more like a light-colored whiskey than a bottle of Bombay. But we’re not after appearances here, just delicious, delicious gin.

Here’s a good example of a decent bottle of vodka. Feel free to buy a different brand. (Kate Williams)

To start, head to your neighborhood liquor store and pick up a decent bottle of vodka. Some DIY gin recipes call for a high-proof grain alcohol because such spirits will extract flavors at a higher rate. However, you’d likely want to dilute the final product with a better-tasting, lower proof vodka afterward (high-proof alcohol simply tastes bad), which just seems like a waste of money, time and effort to me. So I like to start with something I’d drink on its own, but won’t break the bank.

Dried juniper berries. (Kate Williams)

Next, pick out your botanicals. Obviously, you will need juniper berries, which aren’t terribly difficult to find. Bay Area spice company Spicely carries them, and you can find Spicely products in most grocery stores these days. Or you can order them online through Spicely or companies like Mountain Rose Herbs.

Crush spices in a mortar and pestle to help release their flavors. (Kate Williams)

Along with juniper, I like the build the backbone of my DIY gin with floral spices like cardamom, coriander and star anise. These I gently crush in a mortar and pestle to release their flavors.

Finally, I really like citrusy gin (it works especially well in a gin and tonic), so I add a trio of citrus peels — lemon, grapefruit, and orange. Dried orange peels are especially nice to add because they have more concentrated bitterness. You can find dried oranges at Berkeley Bowl (remove the fruity center before using them in the infusion), or you can purchase dried orange peels at an herb shop like Lhasa Karnak or online. Dried lemon and grapefruit are harder to source, so I just use a couple of strips of fresh peel.

Feel free to play around with your own flavors. Fans of more herbaceous gins like those from St. George may want to play around with adding things like Douglas fir tips to the mix. Other common (and relatively easy-to-find) additions include licorice root, cinnamon, lime peel, saffron, grains of paradise, cassia bark and nutmeg. Whatever you choose, start small. You really don’t need a high volume of infusion ingredients to produce a well-flavored gin. You can always add more of a specific ingredient later.

Combine everything in a large glass jar and let it sit. (Kate Williams)

Once you’ve gathered all of your ingredients, the (not very) hard part is over. Decant the vodka into a large glass jar and add all of your flavoring ingredients. Save the vodka bottle to use for storage later. Cover the jar with the lid and let the whole thing sit for about a week and a half. (This is actually the hardest part.)

While you’re waiting, consider making a batch of homemade tonic water to drink with your homemade gin. Actually, don’t consider it, just do it.

The fully-steeped mixture will be brown. That’s okay. (Kate Williams)

After about 10 to 12 days, taste your gin infusion. It should taste bright and juniper-y with a hint of citrus. Strain the mix through a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a large bowl (preferably with a spout for easier bottling). Press on the solids to extract any extra gin goodness and then toss them out.

Your gin is finished! Transfer it back into the vodka bottle, and re-label it as gin in case you forget that you’ve magically transformed vodka into its much better tasting cousin.

Make a gin and tonic or two and sip on the porch.

Homemade gin. (Kate Williams)

Recipe: Homemade Gin

Makes 1 (750 ml) bottle

Note: Many DIY gin recipes call for grain alcohol or cheap vodka. I prefer to use something that’s actually drinkable on its own. You’ll need to steep it longer than you would using a higher-proof spirit, but the flavor benefits are totally worth it. You can find juniper berries through Spicely, which is sold at stores like Berkeley Bowl and Whole Foods. Dried oranges are also available at Berkeley Bowl. If you can’t find them, you can substitute 2 (4-inch) orange peels.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 cardamom pod

1 star anise pod

1 dried orange round

1 (750 ml) bottle vodka

2 (4-inch) grapefruit peels

2 (3-inch) lemon peels

2 tablespoons juniper berries

In a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, crush the coriander seeds, cardamom, and star anise. Transfer to a large glass jar.

Remove the fruity center from the dried orange round. Place the peel in the jar with the spices.

Add the vodka (save the bottle), grapefruit peels, lemon peels, and juniper berries. Cover the jar with a lid and let steep until fully flavored, 10 to 12 days. The gin will be light brown. That’s perfectly okay.

Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set over a large bowl with a spout. Strain the gin mixture through the cheesecloth, pressing on the solids to extract any extra liquid. Discard solids.

Pour the strained gin back into the vodka bottle for storage.

The gin is now ready to use in cocktails. I recommend a simple gin and tonic.

]]>https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/07/22/diy-gin-yes-you-can-make-it-without-a-still/feed/0110762vodka 2_Here’s a good example of a decent bottle of vodka. Feel free to buy a different brand.juniper 2_Dried juniper berries.crushed coriander 2_Crush spices in a mortar and pestle to help release their flavors.orange 2_Dried orange slices.peels 1_Fresh lemon and grapefruit peels.mix in jar 1_Combine everything in a large glass jar and let it sit.steeped vodka 1_The fully-steeped mixture will be brown. That’s okay.in bottleHomemade gin.Agave Uptown Opens in Oakland with Authentic Oaxacan Menuhttps://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/06/30/agave-uptown-opens-in-oakland-with-authentic-oaxacan-menu/
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/06/30/agave-uptown-opens-in-oakland-with-authentic-oaxacan-menu/#respondFri, 01 Jul 2016 00:56:27 +0000http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=110393It may have opened a few weeks late, but the wait was worth it. When Agave Uptown finally opened its doors yesterday on the ground floor of the Kapor Center for Social Impact, it was for delicious authentic food in a bright new spot in the hip Uptown neighborhood of Oakland.

The restaurant is headed by chef Octavio Diaz, who was busy on opening night working the kitchen and talking to the guests in the full dining room. Diaz and his brothers run the original Agave up in Healdsburg, as well as a nearby market and taqueria there, Casa del Mole, which sells their original mole sauce to take home. The brothers, who are from a small town in Oaxaca, Mexico, are co-owners and partners in a few other restaurants as well.

Diaz originally came to Rohnert Park to live with his uncle when he was just 13 years old. It’s that uncle who now graces the wall of Agave Uptown as part of a mural that represents the different parts of Oaxaca — agave plants, textiles, and a good luck jackrabbit.

Agave Uptown interior with mural that represents the different parts of Oaxaca. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Well-designed and with large open windows, the restaurant fits about 80-100 people, has an open kitchen, and full bar, as well as a private dining room area for events. Eventually, it will also have a take-out counter for lunch. Reportedly, it was Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein, who used to eat at Diaz’s Healdsburg restaurant, who convinced Diaz to open the Oakland location. As the ground floor space to the Kapor Center for Social Impact, which has three different organizations working to increase diversity and social impact among students, Agave Uptown has said it will focus on hiring locals to work the kitchen and dining room, and will use the space as a sort of incubator to teach employees the ropes of the restaurant industry.

Certainly, our waiter was friendly and attentive, eager to tell us all about the history of Oaxacan cuisine and recommend the best mezcal on the menu.

Our friendly, attentive and knowledgeable waiter. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Subtitled “Mole & Mezcal,” that’s what Agave is all about. Mezcal, a sibling of tequila, is made from the agave plant and is a specialty of Oaxaca. It also tends to have less of a kick than tequila and has been booming in popularity in recent years as small-batch mezcals have made their way up here. If you’re curious (or an aficionado), then Agave is the place to go. With more than 30 different mezcals on the menu, you can just sip with your meal or try one of the house specialty cocktails. The La Niña Fresa, a mezcal strawberry drink with an actual strawberry frozen inside the giant ice cube, was sweet and refreshing. There are also Mexican craft beers, as a well as a few local brews, and Sonoma County wines. Or, try the house-made ginger beer, which isn’t too spicy and tastes more like a soft ginger cocktail than a beer.

Now that you’ve had your drinks, it’s time to pick from the expansive authentic Oaxacan menu. Yes, there are tacos and guacamole — and I’m sure they’re delicious too — but if you really want to get the taste of Oaxaca, then you need to try one of the specialties: tasajo (a kind of thinly sliced beef), tlayuda (a kind of Oaxacan pizza), or the molotes (a tiny, sort of dense tamale).

We started with a half-order of molotes, which are small and filled with chorizo and a sweet potato blend, topped with queso fresco. They’re tasty finger food to get the meal started. I could have kept eating and eating them, but it was time to move on to our main dishes.

Of course, we had to try the house specialty: Mole Negro de Oaxaca. You can get the signature sauce with carnitas, chicken, fish, oysters, or a vegetarian version. We went with the Rocky chicken, which was perfectly evenly cooked in a rotisserie before being coated in the subtle chocolate sauce.

Mole Negro de Oaxaca with chicken (Wendy Goodfriend)

Now, the mole. There’s a reason the recipe is a family secret, passed down from Diaz’s mom, with over 20 special (and also secret) ingredients from Oaxaca. It’s not quite like any mole I’ve ever had — not too sweet, slightly complex and smoky. Basically, it’s addictive. Fortunately, the plate comes with tasty rice, beans, and house-made tortillas that can be used to soak up every last bit of sauce.

To balance all that food, we decided on a Agave salad: romaine hearts, avocado, queso fresco, pumpkin seeds, tomatoes, and lots and lots of sweet red and orange peppers. It was surprisingly sweet and light, with just a touch of spice from the peppers. A perfectly made salad and complement to the rest of the meal.

Agave salad (Wendy Goodfriend)

All the vegetables, meat, and fish are bought from local farmers markets, in Oakland, San Francisco, and up in Healdsburg. There are also some existing vendor relationships with farms around Healdsburg and some Oaxacan specialty items have to come straight from Mexico.

To finish it all off, we ordered a Mexican rice pudding, topped with local peaches. I’m not a huge fan of rice pudding, but it was well-made — creamy, sweet without being too sweet, a taste of vanilla mixed nicely with the peaches.

Mexican rice pudding, topped with local peaches. (Wendy Goodfriend)

And then I was so full, I felt like I had eaten my way all the way through Oaxaca.

]]>https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/06/30/agave-uptown-opens-in-oakland-with-authentic-oaxacan-menu/feed/0110393mural1Agave Uptown interior with mural that represents the different parts of Oaxaca.agave-staffAgave Uptown open kitchenagave-barAgave Uptown Barwilbur-waiterOur waiter was friendly and attentive, eager to tell us all about the history of Oaxacan cuisine and recommend the best mezcal on the menu.coctailLa Niña Fresa, a mezcal strawberry drink with an actually strawberry frozen inside the giant ice cube.ginger-beerhouse-made ginger beerappetizer1Molotes filled with chorizo and a sweet potato blend, topped with queso fresco.mole-chixMole Negro de Oaxaca with chickenagave-saladAgave saladrice-puddingMexican rice pudding, topped with local peaches.agave-outsideAgave Uptown exteriorCelebrate Pride with Summer Rainbow Sangria!https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/06/24/celebrate-pride-with-summer-rainbow-sangria/
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/06/24/celebrate-pride-with-summer-rainbow-sangria/#respondFri, 24 Jun 2016 17:53:31 +0000http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=110224Fruit-sweet and flavorful, this white sangria knows how to party. Layers of fresh seasonal summer fruit create a stunning rainbow of color in a large glass pitcher, making a striking presentation.

You can use any type of fruit you like to create the rainbow effect, just make sure to choose ripe, fragrant fruit. And be sure to layer it in proper rainbow order: purple/blue, then green, then yellow, orange, and red. Of course, you can add any number of other hues from the fruit world if you like – indigo, pink, etc.

I layered mine in a tall glass pitcher, but you can also layer the fruit in individual tall glasses and then pour each serving over the fruit, then top it with a little club soda.

If you let the fruit sit for a few hours in the fridge it will soak up some of the alcohol from the wine, which makes a nice adult-only treat while you sip your cocktail.

Summer Rainbow Sangria (Wendy Goodfriend)

Recipe: Summer Rainbow Sangria

Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 bottle chilled dry white wine

About 3 fl oz peach brandy

1 tbsp agave syrup, or to taste

2 tbsp cold lime juice

1 pint blackberries

1/2 cup blueberries

3/4 cup red grapes

2 kiwi, peeled and sliced

3/4 cup green grapes

3/4 cup fresh pineapple chunks

1 can mandarin orange segments, drained

1 cup strawberries and/or raspberries

1 bottle chilled club soda (optional)

Instructions:

In a bowl, stir together the wine, brandy, agave, and lime juice. In a large glass pitcher, add layers of fruit in the order of the ingredient list. Pour the wine mixture into the pitcher over the fruit. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

In a large glass pitcher, add layers of fruit in the order of the ingredient list. (Wendy Goodfriend)Pour the wine mixture into the pitcher over the fruit. (Wendy Goodfriend)

To serve the sangria, using a small ladle, scoop out some of the fruit into individual glasses, then fill with sangria. Top with a little club soda if you like.

Rainbow Sangria ready to serve! (Wendy Goodfriend)

]]>https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2016/06/24/celebrate-pride-with-summer-rainbow-sangria/feed/0110224pride-sangria-topSummer Rainbow Sangriapride-sangria-add-kiwiIn a large glass pitcher, add layers of fruit in the order of the ingredient list.pride-sangria-winePour the liquid mixture into the pitcher.pride-sangria-top3Rainbow Sangria ready to serve!To Go Green, Bars Try To Reuse Their Boozehttps://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/12/11/to-go-green-bars-try-to-reuse-their-booze/
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/12/11/to-go-green-bars-try-to-reuse-their-booze/#respondFri, 11 Dec 2015 21:55:54 +0000http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=104670You probably don’t waste a whole lot of wine or booze in your own home. But bars and restaurants throw out alcohol all the time.

The booze, wine and beer left behind in customers’ drinks have to be discarded per food safety law, of course.

But what about the wine bottles designated for serving by the glass? Those dregs often go right down the drain.

Just as the restaurant industry has been waking up to its significant contribution to the food waste problem — and coming up with creative solutions — bartenders are realizing they can also turn some of their waste into something useful. It’s just one dimension of the new sustainability movement in the drinking industry that’s seeking ways to reduce water use, packaging waste and energy.

Ryan McIlwraith is a chef who co-owns Comstock Saloon in San Francisco. He’s also preparing to open a Spanish-themed restaurant called Bellota with partner Jonny Raglin.

For his new venture, McIlwraith has been investing in used wine barrels and ceramicvinegar crocks with plans to turn leftover alcohol into vinegar. The process involves inoculating wine, beer or other alcoholic drinks with bacteria called acetobacter. They convert the alcohol into acetic acid — what gives vinegar that punchy kick. Eventually he hopes to supply most of his restaurant’s needs with a homemade product.

Making craft cocktails can generate heaps of fruit rinds, spent flavorings and spices. Some can be repurposed for mixers or condiments like marmalade. (Chiot's Run/Flickr)

There are plenty of other ways to use old wine and cider in Spanish cooking, he says. Both can be used for marinading beef, braising pork, preserving seafood and pickling some vegetables. Raglin says he likes to make vermouth by simmering white wine that has been opened for too long with herbs and caramel and fortifying with brandy.

“A lot of this will be a learning process for us, but there are a lot of ideas to play with for how to use up our alcohol without throwing it away,” McIlwraith says.

San Francisco seems to be emerging as a hub for sustainability innovation at bars. The Perennial is a restaurant and bar slated to open there in January that’s partnering with the nonprofit ZeroFoodprint to lower its greenhouse gas emissions and use as little water and generate as little waste as possible. According to beverage director Jennifer Colliau, one of the biggest problems in the liquor industry are laws that prohibit the use of bottles larger than 1.75 liters and prohibit distilleries from reusing bottles that have been used before. So, more bottles are used, and often they are thrown in the trash.

“Buying spirits in kegs would be an easy system that has been working for years in other industries,” she says. (Kegs are one reason bars usually have very little leftover beer — they get tapped until they’re empty.)

To use less water than standard bars, Colliau says The Perennial will chill cocktails in the fridge instead of shaking them in ice and discarding the ice. She says unused fresh citrus juices will be used to make sherbet. (A lot of bars typically throw out the juice they don’t use.)

Drinking establishments elsewhere in the country are also trying to curb their waste both to cut their costs and to lower their environmental impact. The Sportsman’s Club in Chicago combines leftover aperitifs, liqueurs and spirits into amaro liqueur.

At RED Bar, at the St. Louis Hyatt Regency hotel, leftover wine is blended and steeped with fruit, then served as sangria, according to a US Foods blog post. (Most sangria is made with fresh bottles of wine.)

Concern about waste is driving other forms of innovation in the drinks industry, according to Chad Arnholt, co-founder of the Tin Roof Drink Community, a San Francisco-based sustainability consulting firm for bars that’s working with The Perennial, among other establishments.

Making craft cocktails can generate heaps of fruit rinds, spent flavorings and spices, according to Arnholt, who also tends bar at San Francisco’s Comstock Saloon. They can be composted, or sometimes repurposed for making bitters. That’s also true for other cocktail ingredients like gum syrup, sour mix and fruit-flavored syrups.

Such homemade products are primarily creative pursuits, Arnholt says. However, bypassing commercial suppliers and the packaging waste and transport miles associated with them is an added environmental benefit, he says.

Arnholt says he’s also seeing better communication between restaurants’ bars and kitchens. Whereas the bar may once have juiced a fruit — say, a melon — and discarded the pulp, chefs are increasingly making use of such edible byproducts, he says, turning them into sorbets and other desserts.

For example, at Trenchermen, in Chicago, citrus rinds from both kitchen and bar are turned into marmalade, chef Patrick Sheerin tells The Salt by email.

Arnholt notes that several nights ago at Comstock, as he was finishing a bartending shift, the restaurant’s chef brought him a jar containing brine from pickled pears.

]]>https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/12/11/to-go-green-bars-try-to-reuse-their-booze/feed/01046705 Bites: Gratifying Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in Oaklandhttps://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/11/30/5-bites-gratifying-grilled-cheese-sandwiches-in-oakland/
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/11/30/5-bites-gratifying-grilled-cheese-sandwiches-in-oakland/#respondMon, 30 Nov 2015 16:30:21 +0000http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=102692Fall is upon us and the first chill of winter is slowly creeping into the Bay Area, which means it’s time for wool sweaters, umbrellas (if we’re lucky) and warm comfort food. While one can appreciate soups, stews and sandwiches filled with melty goodness at any time of the year, these meals taste even better when we’re curled up inside the toasty confines of one of our favorite restaurants. Lucky for us Oakland residents, there’s plenty of places to find grilled cheese sandwiches — like at the five suggested spots listed below. Let us know your favorites in the comments (and stay tuned for a follow-up post featuring melts.)

Come for the Grilled Cheese, Be Rewarded by All the Housemade Extras

I’ve sung the praises of Hog’s Apothecary in a previous “5 Bites” post; it’s one of my go-to places for hearty, seasonal cuisine and local craft beers (there’s 25+ on tap.) If you’re in the neighborhood around lunchtime, pop in to try their excellent “Say Cheese” grilled cheese sandwich. Cowgirl Creamery’s semi-pungent Wagon Wheel cheese is melted onto thick slabs of toasted levain bread spread with Dijon mustard. For an added $2, you can pile on slices of their savory ham (it’s made in-house from the whole hog that’s delivered weekly and butchered on the premises.) Skip the mixed side salad and go for their housemade, lard-fried Kennebec potato chips and pickled vegetables; they’re worth every calorie-laden bite.

A Tasty Riff on a Classic Comfort Food Combo

There’s far too many temptations packed into The Sacred Wheel, a cozy specialty cheese shop located in Temescal. If you manage to tear yourself away from the gleaming refrigerated cases displaying dozens of local and imported cheeses (and the homey wooden shelves stocked with other gourmet foodstuffs), make your way to the back of the shop to peruse their blackboard menu. They feature several daily sandwich specials, but their “Trinity Sandwich” is one of their staples. Made with a rotating selection of three cheeses, you can choose from sourdough, rye, Texas Toast or Grease Box’s gluten-free bread for your crispy, buttery sandwich. Highly recommended is their twist on the classic comfort food combo: a fresh, housemade tomato soup prepared with Pabst Blue Ribbon beer that gives it an extra twang of tangy flavor.

For When You Want a Cocktail With Your Grilled Cheese

The Lodge rounds out Alexeis Filipello’s Americana-themed trifecta (which includes Stag’s Lunchette and Bar Dogwood) that opened up in September on Piedmont Avenue. All three carry its signature grilled cheese sandwich made with Berkeley’s Belfiore mozzarella and Belton Farms white cheddar on sizable slices of buttery levain. Stellar spreadable add-ons — bacon chutney, tomato jam and caramelized onion jam, to name a few — are also available at each spot. Sip one of their house cocktails (the “Black Rider” mixed with Rittenhouse rye, Amaro Nardini orange bitters and walnut bitters is a fine concoction that’s similar to an Old-Fashioned.) In winter months, it’ll probably be too cold to relax outdoors, so try and snag a warm seat by the fireplace.

A Most Exquisite Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The self-proclaimed “best-ever, slow-cooked grilled cheese” sandwich from The Cook and Her Farmer. (Jenny Oh)

When a restaurant touts one of its dishes as the “best-ever” of its kind, it better live up to the promised hype of being at the top of its game. And certainly The Cook and Her Farmer’s creation is one of those photogenic sandwiches that will regularly pop up in your Instagram feed via aspiring food pornographers. Dusted with dreamy clouds of grated pecorino Romano cheese, its elegant presentation definitely earns it quite a few points in the eye candy department. Fat slices of Acme levain are stuffed with generous helpings of shredded aged Gruyère and dry Jack cheeses. (On a recent visit, however, it was disappointing to find that some of the cheese hadn’t quite melted all the way down to its core despite their slow cooking process.) A seasonal, housemade mostarda di fruitta adds a sweet note to the sandwich (which was cranberry in a nod to the holidays) with some fresh arugula to balance out its rich flavors. It’s a substantial sandwich that needs no additional sides to fill you up at lunch, although you do have the option to add avocado, heirloom tomatoes or even an egg if you’re wanting to take it to the next level of decadence.

Simple and Satisfyingly Delicious

Grand Lake Kitchen’s grilled cheese sandwich is a no-frills affair: melted sharp cheddar oozes from two soft slices of sourdough bread spread with whole grain mustard. It’s the affordable, adult-version of the grilled cheese you grew up eating as a kid, but this one’s made with quality ingredients (local and seasonal) and pairs well with an optional side salad like baby kale greens. There’s always a housemade soup of day, so feel free to splurge a little if you want a liquid sidekick with your sandwich. And they have a small deli that carries select grocery items, beer and wine for sale if you’d like to pick up some gourmet items to take home.

]]>https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/11/30/5-bites-gratifying-grilled-cheese-sandwiches-in-oakland/feed/0102692“Bloody” Halloween Party Punchhttps://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/10/27/bloody-halloween-party-punch/
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/10/27/bloody-halloween-party-punch/#respondTue, 27 Oct 2015 14:00:38 +0000http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=102367Way better than a bottle of fruit punch, this fizzy sweet-tart welcoming drink is made with tangy cranberry juice, fizzy blood orange soda, and pureed frozen strawberries, which add sweetness and texture. Pour it into a large footed glass bowl or even a trifle dish and top it off with sparkling water and plenty of ice.

If you are feeling extra ghoulish, and for an adults-only Halloween bash, add 16 fl oz of vodka or gin to the mix.

Decorate your big bowl of fruit blood-punch with a small block of dry ice (if you can find it), which will cause your punch to look eerily fiendish. Plastic spider rings, gummy worms, or other terrifying creatures of the night can be used to decorate the rims of the bowl and the surrounding table.

Don’t forget to put out plenty of cups and a ladle!

Foamy “Bloody” party punch (Wendy Goodfriend)

“Bloody” Halloween Party Punch

Makes about 2 1/2 quarts of punch

Ingredients:

1 10-oz bag frozen strawberries

1 32-fl oz bottle cranberry juice, chilled

1 25-fl oz bottle blood orange soda, chilled

About 12 fl oz sparkling water or to taste, chilled

Ice cubes

Ingredients for “Bloody” party punch (Wendy Goodfriend)Instructions:

In a blender, blend together the strawberries with the cranberry juice until smooth.

In a blender, blend together the strawberries with the cranberry juice until smooth. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Pour into a punch bowl. Add the orange soda and sparkling water, stir gently to mix.

Add the ice cubes and garnish the bowl with terrifying creatures of the night. Serve.

Add the ice cubes and garnish the bowl with terrifying creatures of the night. (Wendy Goodfriend)Serve the “Bloody” Halloween Party Punch. (Wendy Goodfriend)

]]>https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/10/27/bloody-halloween-party-punch/feed/0102367The Art Of Drinking Absinthe, The Liquor Of Aestheteshttps://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/08/11/the-art-of-drinking-absinthe-the-liquor-of-aesthetes/
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/08/11/the-art-of-drinking-absinthe-the-liquor-of-aesthetes/#respondTue, 11 Aug 2015 21:33:52 +0000http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=99283A sugar cube is cradled by a slotted spoon balanced on top of a glass of absinthe. (Courtesy of Southern Food and Beverage Museum)

There’s something romantic about absinthe — that naturally green liquor derived from wormwood and herbs like anise or fennel. Vincent Van Gogh and Oscar Wilde drank it. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Pablo Picasso filled the glasses of cafe patrons with absinthe in their paintings. Absinthe was a drink of aesthetes.

Yet it was not art, but necessity that first helped popularize absinthe: It was included in the rations of French soldiers who marched off to colonize Algeria in the 1840s. As Betina Wittels and Robert Hermesch write in Absinthe: Sip of Seduction, French army doctors issued absinthe to soldiers “for the prevention of fevers and treatment of dysentery.”

Le louche refers to the transformation that happens when water is added to absinthe, turning the liquor from a deep green to a milky, iridescent shade. At left, a classic pour. At right, an absinthe glass fitted with a brouilleur, a device that holds the ice and lets water slowly drip down. (Courtesy of Scott MacDonald)

Soon, the soldiers were drinking the beverage for nonmedicinal purposes, too. Wittels and Hermesch write that it became a fashionable beverage in Algerian cafes and nightclubs, and when soldiers returned to France, they weren’t ready to give the drink up. At the time, the French wine industry was collapsing owing to a vine-killing aphid called phylloxera that left wine in short supply. Absinthe was in the right place at the right time. But rather than simply substituting one alcohol for another, the French developed a ritual for drinking absinthe that gave rise to some of the greatest liquor paraphernalia — known as absinthiana — around.

An assortment of slotted absinthe spoons from the late 19th century. They were mostly used in bars and absinthe houses in Europe. (Courtesy of Southern Food and Beverage Museum)

First, absinthe is mixed with cold water. Not only does this dilute a liquor that is often bottled at about 70 percent ABV, it also produces a cloudy effect called le louche (which can be roughly translated to “the clouding”). Le louche is a spectacle for the eyes, as the absinthe transforms from a deep green to a milky, iridescent shade. It is a bit of magic in a glass.

This drip fountain, on display at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, is a replica of the one found at the Old Absinthe House in New Orleans. Drip fountains were an economical way to cool down water before adding it to absinthe, while also prolonging the spectacle of le louche. ( Courtesy of Southern Food and Beverage Museum)

Le louche is also an example of a scientifically interesting phenomenon known as the “ouzo effect.” Basically, when the water hits the absinthe, it releases the essential oils from the alcohol into the water, creating a spontaneous emulsion. So the drink becomes cloudy, and the effect sticks around a surprisingly long time.

Cold water, it seems, was considered essential to palatability: In Five O’Clock Absinthe, the late-19th century poet Raoul Ponchon wrote that, if you have warm absinthe, boire du pissat d’âne ou du bouillon pointu — which translates, more or less, to “you might as well drink donkey’s urine or ‘enema broth’ ” instead. So cold water it was.

The absinthe is sweetened with a cube of sugar, placed on a slotted spoon balanced on top of the glass. Water is dripped over the sugar, so that it dissolves slowly into the refreshment below.

Why create a special spoon for this purpose? Forks could also work, but in the 1800s, sugar didn’t come in cubes but in lumpy rocks, which would have been difficult to balance on tines. So the French created special spoons that could cradle the sugar while allowing the sweetened water to drip down into the glass.

Bottles of absinthe line the bar at a display dedicated to the drink at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans. ( Courtesy of Southern Food and Beverage Museum)

Drip fountains were created for two reasons. First, they allowed people to economically cool the water used to dilute the strong liquor. A small amount of ice — which was still an expensive luxury in the mid-1800s — could be used to chill a large quantity of water. Second, the fountains allowed patrons to draw out the ritual of le louche. Sure, you could simply pour the water in all at once and be done with it. But where is the magic in that? No, drinking absinthe was meant to be an indulgence for the senses — no wonder artists flocked to the beverage. Absinthiana collector Scott MacDonald, author of Absinthe Antiques,refers to the process as “Western civilization’s tea ceremony.”

Lots of people were drinking absinthe in the latter half of the 19th century, but the way they drank it — and the utensils they used — quickly became a marker of social class. While cafes might carry slotted spoons with a simple design, some wealthy families would order a full set of specially engraved spoons from the silversmith. Like most of us, these wealthy absinthe drinkers weren’t immune to trends: MacDonald says that in the 1880s, spoons made out of a new material called aluminum were actually more costly than those made from pure silver.

The French brought their love of absinthe with them to New Orleans, which explains why the city’s Southern Food and Beverage Museum has a large exhibit devoted to the drink. Museum President Liz Williams says that only the upper classes could afford a bottle of absinthe on their own — but that didn’t make absinthe any less of the people’s drink. Instead of happy hour, the time between 5-7 every evening was known as “the green hour” in France. People gathered in cafes, visiting and unwinding over glasses of absinthe.

And MacDonald explains that despite absinthe’s reputation as an artist’s beverage, it was the common person’s beverage first. “Artists enjoyed it because it brought people together,” explains MacDonald. “They enjoyed the culture of it.”

]]>https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/08/11/the-art-of-drinking-absinthe-the-liquor-of-aesthetes/feed/099283An assortment of slotted absinthe spoons from the late 19th century. They were mostly used in bars and absinthe houses in Europe.An assortment of slotted absinthe spoons from the late 19th century. They were mostly used in bars and absinthe houses in Europe.Sonoma Aperitif Introducing Exotic Fruit-based Infusions to Bay Areahttps://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/04/06/sonoma-aperitif-introducing-exotic-fruit-based-infusions-to-bay-area/
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/04/06/sonoma-aperitif-introducing-exotic-fruit-based-infusions-to-bay-area/#commentsTue, 07 Apr 2015 00:28:35 +0000http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=94649Laura Hagar-Rush is making lovely aperitifs in Sonoma County from heirloom fruit like bergamot, Buddha’s hand, yali pear and Chinese quince grown around the Bay Area. (Miranda Rush)

That old-world tradition of having friendly, pre-dinner chitchat while sipping an aperitif to relax after the day is done might be at odds with today’s hyperspeed lifestyles but one part of the equation is coming back: the beverage. Spurred by the craft cocktail movement in which yesteryear’s ingredients are reinvented but made from scratch, lots better than ever, this wine-based infusion is reappearing via a few passionate producers like Laura Hagar-Rush of Sonoma Aperitif.

Her pale, pastel-colored concoctions brewed with various fruits, herbs and flowers are intensely aromatic, complex and exquisitely delicate, belying their 16% alcohol content. Featuring the haunting smells of ingredients like oroblanco, yali pear, Chinese quince, bergamot, blood orange and feijoa (pineapple guava), her essences are miles removed from the overly bitter and “it’s-an-acquired-taste” commercial products like Campari and Fernet-Branca or syrupy mass-market stuff like Dubonnet.

Quince label (Laura Hagar-Rush)

A few budding aperitif producers have emerged recently like Jardesca while others such as Sonoma Portworks, Charbay, Sutton Cellars and Quady now have aperitifs in their product lines. But Hagar-Rush is the only one focused on seasonal heirloom fruit, grown in her expansive yard in rural Forestville and in the yards of friends and acquaintances throughout the Bay Area.

A writer and graphic designer by trade — she used to write food and wine articles for the East Bay Express — Hagar-Rush took the giant step from observing to doing after sipping a “transcendental” bergamot aperitif a friend made in his garage a few years ago. “It was really delicious so I went home and made one,” explains the tall, immediately likable mom of two college-age kids, who’s married to an industrial design engineer.

Aperitifs — including familiar iterations like vermouth — start with wine, which is infused with flavoring like herbs, fruit, roots and bark, allowed to percolate for awhile, then strained and dosed with a distilled product like vodka or brandy. Without the infusions, this is roughly how classic before-or-after-dinner “fortified” beverages like port, sherry and madeira are made. Varying amounts of sweetener are used in many aperitifs but those made by Hagar-Rush are just sweet enough.

Her singular inspiration was showcasing organic, local fruit. “It’s a nice combination of the wine world and the whole local, sustainable produce movement, which I’m interested in,” she explains. “This is going to sound a little woo-woo, but I like the idea of connecting people with the earth and the seasons and the cycle — great food is only available certain times of the year. Like, cherries are only great for a month.”

Current offerings reflect the winter citrus season and include blood orange, bergamot and Buddha’s hand, a bizarre-looking fruit with yellow finger-like appendages that is so fragrant that it’s used to perfume rooms in parts of Asia. “Coming up is Rangpur lime,” explains Hagar-Rush. Soon will be the spring aperitifs, which will include cherimoya-jasmine.

In her ever-changing lineup are delicate summer offerings such as strawberry-basil and white nectarine-rose. Fall will see aperitifs like bosc pear and fig-pear. “I always have grapefruit,” she notes, since “great organic fruit is available year round.

“They are generally less sweet than one expects,” explains Hagar-Rush. “People generally say they’re refreshing and bright, particularly with the citrus. The point with these is to deliver the essence of the seasonal fruit. All of them are extremely aromatic. The nose is intense and a huge part of the experience. They’re perfumey, but in a good way.”

The road to her current level of expertise involved three years of study and experimentation as well as jumping through the endless hoops of the officials who regulate alcoholic beverages. For example, the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, nicknamed the TTB, wouldn’t allow her to put “aperitif” on the label of her Sonoma Aperitif brand. Go figure. So she slyly came up with a substitute, “Qu’est-ce que c’est,” which means “what is it?” in French.

Besides researching 18th and 19th century cookbooks, Hagar-Rush made a lot of samples, learning that Sonoma County’s renowned chardonnay doesn’t work nearly as well for the base wine as do varietals like sauvignon blanc. Also, “I did isolated samples of things like basil, rosemary, flowers, thyme,” she explains. “I just infused that single thing to see what notes would be added.”

She experimented with an array of fruit, too. “As the seasons went by, I took every interesting heirloom fruit that I could find and did test research. Some were horrible; cantaloupe was truly repulsive. Some were wonderful. And some were just meh.”

Once she identified the winners, she began relentlessly searching for fruit sources, quizzing friends and acquaintances and putting requests on news groups and elsewhere online. One of her discoveries was a former UC Davis field station not too far from her house that was growing — and mostly ignoring — more than a dozen kinds of obscure citrus. She collected other exotica from friends’ backyards as well as farmers’ markets.

Launching her business also required a facility, which she found in the former Eagle Ridge Winery in Penngrove near Petaluma, which had earlier been a historic dairy and is now charmingly funky. A fortuitous aspect to leasing this property was the three-plus acres of old syrah vines, whose grapes Hagar-Rush vinifies and uses for her only red-wine-based product, nocino, an Italian-style green walnut aperitif featuring vanilla, nutmeg and other spices. She currently buys her base white wine — sauvignon blanc and grenache blanc — from a Sonoma County winery but plans to buy grapes and make it herself in the future.

Much hand labor is involved in producing her elixirs. The citrus — which comprises a goodly portion of her offerings — must be carefully peeled before infusion and since she has no staff, she brews her aperitifs in five-gallon jugs that are on the edge of being movable by one person. Her blends infuse for between a couple of days up to four months, she says. “As it develops, I taste it to see how the infusion is going and it actually changes quite significantly over time.”

Some of the Sonoma Aperitif essences being infused with fruit, such as the Buddha’s hand, Rangpur lime and Meyer lemon in the foreground. (Miranda Rush)

Her goal is to “try to find the highest development of the flavor arc” for each batch. Like the fruit that perfumes her essences, these aperitifs are somewhat ephemeral. Kept cold, her products are best consumed early. “I tell people to drink it within six months,” says Hagar-Rush. No problem — that creates an opportunity to try different elixirs throughout the year.

Sonoma Aperitif products have only been available for a few months now officially and their retail presence is just staring to grow. Despite this, visitors have been traipsing to her facility in the so-called Petaluma Gap for tastings, which Hagar-Rush particularly enjoys and which are getting high marks on social media. She also sometimes sells otherworldly preserves in her winery made from the same wonderful fruit sourced for her aperitifs.

“Since people are often not familiar with aperitifs, the tasting experience is really important,” says Hagar-Rush. “It’s my favorite thing; turning people on to something new.” Visitors particularly like it when she mixes her essences with wine in the style of kir. “The stronger flavored ones, like the citrus and the raspberry-lavender that I do in summer, I mix with champagne. There’s a trace of the berry in the nose while the bubbles release the lavender in a really interesting way,” she notes.

Given the frequent unfamiliarity with European aperitifs among ordinary Americans, Hagar-Rush usually explains that they are great consumed either before a meal, in the continental style, or as a replacement for dessert wine after a meal. “Traditionally, they’re paired with savory appetizers,” she says, “and that’s generally what I suggest people do. Crostini with goat cheese, olives, pistachios, that sort of thing.”

The various aperitifs produced by Hagar-Rush have lovely botanical prints of fruit from the 18th and 19th centuries on the labels. (Miranda Rush)

Savvy visitors to Sonoma Aperitif might know that Berkeley’s Chez Panisse has long been serving house-infused aperitifs as part of the downstairs weekend menu — making this famous restaurant an early local proponent of the beverage. Some trendy cocktail programs in the Bay Area are beginning to include such alcoholic nectars, typically made in-house. There’s been particular buzz around vermouth of late, with house-made or commercial high-end versions being used for more than the usual martinis and manhattans.

In fact, Hagar-Rush has been consulting for a Sonoma winery she won’t name to produce vermouth to augment their product line. “We’re going to try a couple of different styles and see which one we like,” she reports. There’s a lot of room for experimentation, since this aperitif appears in dry and sweet white-wine versions as well as in the classic red-wine version featured in manhattans and negronis.

Whatever the final product, carefully crafted aperitifs seem to be taking their place among other artisanal products being made in the Bay Area. Hagar-Rush views this as an opportunity for people “to try something new,” she says. “It was like my response when I first tasted the bergamot (aperitif) my friend made: ‘Wow, this is delicious. Why haven’t I had this before?'”

Sonoma Aperitif products not only have intense aromas and great balance but they come in alluring pastel colors.(Miranda Rush)

]]>https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/04/06/sonoma-aperitif-introducing-exotic-fruit-based-infusions-to-bay-area/feed/194649HagarLaura Hagar-Rush is making lovely aperitifs in Sonoma County from heirloom fruit like bergamot, Buddha's hand, yali pear and Chinese quince grown around the Bay Area.quince labelQuince labelblood orange labelBlood orange label. Strict and sometimes puzzling regulations prohibited Hagar-Rush from putting "aperitif" on her labels so instead, she puckishly calls her essences "Qu'est-ce que c'est" (what is it?)brewing aperitifSome of the Sonoma Aperitif essences being infused with fruit, such as the Buddha's hand, Rangpur lime and Meyer lemon in the foreground.bottles 2Sonoma Aperitif products not only have intense aromas and great balance but they come in alluring pastel colors.bottlesSonoma Aperitif products not only have intense aromas and great balance but they come in alluring pastel colors.Drinking with Mad Men: Cocktail Culture and the Myth of Don Draperhttps://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/03/31/drinking-with-mad-men-cocktail-culture-and-the-myth-of-don-draper/
https://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/03/31/drinking-with-mad-men-cocktail-culture-and-the-myth-of-don-draper/#commentsTue, 31 Mar 2015 16:22:53 +0000http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/?p=94358Ah, 2007: the year in which we met the first-ever iPhone, a Presidential candidate called Barack Obama… and an inscrutable ad man named Don Draper.

With its final seven episodes kicking off on Sunday, April 5, AMC’s Mad Men is coming to a close after almost eight years, and it’s hard to overstate the phenomenal, uncommon level of cultural saturation it’s achieved. Ask someone who doesn’t watch it what Mad Men is about, and they’ll mention the clothes (divine), the decor (sleek), and of course — always — the drinks. The show introduced us not only to the impossibly suave, lantern-jawed Don, but also a new generation of TV viewers to old-fashioned cocktails like Manhattans and martinis, Gimlets and Sidecars. From cocktail guides and suggested drink pairings to reviews for historical booze accuracy andMad Men drinking games (drink every time Harry Crane says something obnoxious!) the online industry that “the booze of Mad Men” has spawned suggest a viewership that’s as much in love with the look, feel and lifestyle of this show as it is with its story.

Don Draper (Jon Hamm) at the bar. (Photo: AMC)

Yet for a piece of pop culture that’s basically credited for reviving public interest in stylish drinking, Mad Men’s relationship with alcohol is characteristically complex. The culture of retro cocktails that the show reignited, or perhaps merely fueled, is intriguing considering how much of the show is actually about excessive, even abusive drinking — a fact that gets lost among all those Manhattans. It’s also something that’s gained undeniable poignancy with the announcement that Jon Hamm, the actor who portrays the alcoholic Don Draper so indelibly, recently emerged from a stint in rehab for alcohol addiction.

The “Mad Men Effect”

How much did this show influence our imbibing? Back in 2013, New York bartenders were apparently reporting a “Mad Men effect” on drinking habits: namely, “seeing more people ordering Manhattans, or any of your classic drinks, because they know what it is.” Over here in the Bay Area I put the question to Matt Grippo of San Francisco’s Blackbird bar, who agrees that “Mad Men definitely influenced people’s drinking habits.” Manhattans, Old Fashioneds and Martinis, he says, “are being ordered very often, every day,” and often with a knowing nod to the show. “‘How Don Draper of you’ — that’s been said in front of me [at the bar] many times,” says Grippo. (“Now if only we can get everyone to order gin Martinis with a proper amount of Vermouth added and no olive juice, I will give the show some major props,” he adds.)

Morgan Schick, Creative Director for the Bon Vivants mixology team behind SF cocktail haven Trick Dog, has a slightly different take. While the show “became a shorthand for the classics for a while,” Schick says that rather than inspiring our yearning for all things retro, Mad Men just tapped into it; that his clientele’s craving for those classic cocktails just “happened at the same time — possibly for the same underlying reasons that Mad Men was successful.” He’s also keen to dispel the notion of bartenders rolling their eyes at the umpteenth order of Manhattans by twentysomething Draper wannabes. “If anything it was nice to have guests with a new-found interest in some of the drinks that we all like anyway,” he says.

An Uneasy Relationship?

There’s no denying that Mad Men can make drinking look really good. A huge proportion of the show’s gorgeously-styled scenes take place in or around the wood-paneled bars, lounges and restaurants of the era (Episode 1, Season 1 even opens in one.) It’s a world populated with suave, slick movers and shakers where confidence is non-negotiable, and those endless martinis are part of the ineffably cool image.

But as Seasons 4 and 5 chronicle Don’s slide into outright alcoholism, showrunner Matthew Weiner’s treatment of this theme becomes much darker. Virtually all of the least flattering moments for Draper, this apparent paragon of retro masculinity, come courtesy of an excess of booze. One of his most cringe-worthy lows comes when, jellified by awards ceremony celebrations, he conducts a pitch for Life Cereal totally hammered. The episode doesn’t just represent the start of Don’s slide into full-blown alcoholism (it’s the first time we see him suffering a significant lapse in memory.) It also shows him committing the unforgivable sin of being bad at what he does in grossly plundering one of his finest hours — Season 1’s unforgettable “Carousel pitch” for Kodak — with a slurring, burping remake. An even greater blow to the myth of Don Draper comes in the instantly-iconic, award-winning episode “The Suitcase.” From loudly vomiting in the SDCP bathrooms to pathetically grappling with equally-drunk adman Duck Phillips, the slickly immaculate Don of the previous seasons is suddenly replaced by a tragic figure with sick stains down his shirt.

As a televised advertisement for heavy drinking, this is like The Wire encouraging people to get into drug dealing, or Breaking Bad making meth production seem like a viable, risk-free sideline. (Before you write in, I’m aware this actually has happened.) But it’s taken a long time in Mad Men years (six seasons, to be precise) for Don to be truly dislodged from his popular podium as America’s Manliest Man.

As the Seventies draw ever-closer and Draper gets more tragic, Matthew Weiner’s intent all along is becoming fantastically clear: to peel back the lie of sharp suits, constant conquests and liquid lunches to show us the unsightly reality (and terrifying future) of the Don type. In the same way that Reaganites mistook Springsteen’s ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ for a jingoistic sing-a-long, we all fell for Weiner’s expert ‘Don Draper trick.’ The fallacy of the Draper lifestyle — that someone could ever drink so much and screw around so much yet have his family life, career and health survive unscathed — should have been obvious. But then again, you can still find Don’s sloppy-drunk Life Cereal pitch posted online by Ask Men.com as one of “Don Draper’s Boss Moments,” so maybe not?

Peggy cares for a drunk Don. (Photo: AMC)

Whoever’s Selling, We’re Buying

An interesting coda to all this lies in the very first days of the show’s run back in June 2007, when — as you could be forgiven for forgetting — Mad Men’s first season was sponsored by Jack Daniel’s. Before Season 1 had even premiered, the producers already had had an (unsuccessful) complaint against them lodged with the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, claiming that Jack Daniel’s was violating industry codes that prohibited alcohol marketing, as well “depictions of irresponsible drinking, overt sexual activity or sexually lewd images.” (This may all seem a little Prohibition-ish to us sitting here in bright, breezy 2015, but it had only been 11 years since the liquor industry dropped a 48-year-old voluntary ban on broadcast advertising that was brought into effect precisely because of those fears.)

Don drinks alone in his office. (Image: AMC)

Given the indelible association with cocktail culture that Mad Men would go on to acquire in the public imagination, it’s interesting to read the defense Matthew Weiner gave at the time. “I’m trying to tell a story about that time. It’s not done for glamour. People drank more and all the time. They drank in their cars, at work, in the morning at work,” he said — surely a description more of an era with a worrying drinking problem than a lifestyle to “quote” when ordering Manhattans? Here was someone unequivocally telling his audience (and the liquor brand so keen to align itself with his story) that the story Mad Men was about to tell would not be what it seemed. But it looked so good!

So almost eight years later, we know our show about a suave Old Fashioned drinker was a tragedy all along. But if there’s one thing at which humans excel, it’s overlooking the uglier elements of something for the parts that look, well, better. If we’re still ordering those Old Fashioneds and thinking “How very Don Draper of us,” I’d guess we’re choosing to remember the Don we first met in Season 1. Or, perhaps, despite everything, us fans just aren’t watching Mad Men as closely as we think.